THE SECRET OF SHERWOOD FOREST
by
Edwin Ross Quantrall
Part One: Darkness and Fury
Prologue
King Nicodemus was dead. Killed by the treachery of his adopted brother,
Jenner, the Prince Regent. Jenner, a vain, selfish, overambitious lion, had
planned his Sovereign's death to the last detail. The King had been
overseeing the construction of a new section of the tower where the Crown
Jewels are stored when they are not on view; both to remind the King of
his obligation to his subjects, and to show the other animals the power of
their King. At the precise moment that King Nicodemus had stepped into a
predetermined area, called there by a "worker" who was actually one of
Jenner's henchmen, several others used iron bars to topple a section of the
wall that had been secretly weakened the night before. King Nicodemus,
along with Sir Jonathan Brisbee, his most trusted advisor, was killed
instantly.
Jenner, a firm believer in efficiency over compassion, immediately seized
the throne and, in a record-fast ceremony, had himself crowned King. He
then gave his subjects, still taken aback by the speed of events, a hard
choice: "Serve the Glory of your new King with all your Heart!", meaning, of
course, higher taxes and more labor in the fields to support the lifestyle to
which Jenner and his friends had become accustomed, or have all of your
property confiscated anyway and probably either end in one of His
Majesty's debtors prisons or be exiled to the countryside. He also ordered
his new Captain-of-the-Guard; a slovenly, ill-humored wolf named
Sullivan; to hunt down and capture or, more preferably, kill the former
Captain, a highly respected, much-loved fox named Justin.
Chapter One
"C'mon, m'lady. we have to leave NOW!" Justin said sternly, hoisting young
Timothy Brisbee into his arms. A driving rain, along with white-hot
lightning and the booming peals of accompanying thunder, would serve to
cover their escape from Londontown only temporarily. Lady Marian
Brisbee, widow of Sir Jonathan, tearfully nodded and finished tying her
cape. A beautiful vixen, her manner both at court and among the common
people was much admired and her smile was said to light up whatever
room she entered. But now, mourning the death of her husband and
dressed in some old, threadbare traveling clothes that Justin had brought
with him to disguise their hasty escape, her beauty, while still much in
evidence, was also much subdued.
Her children, a young rabbit family that she and Jonathan had adopted
from the King's Orphanage only months before, were also dressed for the
trip in a similar manner. Theresa and Martin, the oldest, were confused but
realized the gravity of the situation and remained, for the most part, calm.
Youngest daughter Cynthia, however, was on the verge of hysterics, first
demanding to know where her father was and when he would be arriving
home, then, when Justin finally broke the news to them as gently as he
knew how, bursting into tears and running to hide under her bed. It took
the better part of an hour to calm her down enough to get her ready to
leave, but no one knew how long this would last. Timothy, the youngest of
all the children, was also calm, almost strangely so. He had just recovered
from a life-threateningly intense bout with pneumonia, a feat which had
had the court-physician scratching his head. But something had happened
to Timothy in that time. Where he had once been bubbly, playful and
carefree; he was now more shy and withdrawn, sometimes waking,
terrified and soaked in sweat, in the middle of the night screaming that
monsters were after him.
After a last longing look to make sure that she had left nothing that would
give Sullivan any clue as to their whereabouts, Lady Brisbee blew out the
last candle and stepped out of the door of her manor, not bothering to lock
it, and into the rain and an uncertain future. Justin was waiting under the
light of a lantern which was hanging from a pole on a small handcart which
held the few meager possessions that Justin had instructed them to bring
as well as Timothy and Cynthia, both of whom shivered miserably as they
huddled under a rain-soaked canvas tarp, with Martin and Theresa, who
were lost in their own thoughts. At a nod from Justin, they began to trudge
along the muddy streets.
No one spoke as Justin led them away from the City. The rain poured for
several more hours but, gradually, began to taper off. Lady Brisbee could
see that Timothy and Cynthia had crawled to the middle of the cart and
fallen asleep in each others arms under their ersatz blanket. Martin; a
bright lad who shared his father's courage and curiosity, sometimes to the
point of recklessness; dutifully kept up the punishing pace that Justin had
set, a range of emotions playing across his face, enhanced by the shadows
from the dim light of the lantern no matter how hard he tried to hide
them. Theresa, a usually fun-loving but practical-minded girl, was visibly
tiring and had a death-grip on the cart as she grimly plodded along, tears
of exhaustion streaming from her eyes. Brisbee had cried silently to herself
most of the night, her tears washed by those of Nature as both mourned
the untimely death of a loving husband and father. But, like the rain, her
tears were spent and the task of supporting the family now rested, as
uneasily as she hoped that the Crown of Britain rested on Jenner's head, on
her shoulders.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Justin suddenly stopped and rested
the cart on its supports so quickly that Theresa nearly collided with it.
Cynthia awoke and timidly asked, "What happened? Why have we
stopped?" Theresa, meanwhile, collapsed to her knees and crawled to lean
against one of the cart's wheels.
Justin ducked out from behind the push-handle and said, "Rest here for a
few minutes. I have to talk with your mother." With a slight nod he
indicated the direction that they were to walk.
A few minutes later, when they were out of earshot of the children, Justin
stopped and pulled an object out of a pocket of his vest and held it up to
the first rays of dawn that were beginning to peer over the horizon. Lady
Brisbee recognized it immediately. It was a round, blood-red stone, about
the size of Cynthia's fist, set into aplain gold backing attached to a thin gold
chain. An inscription on the reverse read "You can Unlock any Door if You
only have the Key." It had been given to Jonathan when he had been
appointed Chancellor by King Nicodemus several years ago. "You know
about the legends behind the history of this." Justin stated, his voice
betraying a hint of concern and...something else...fear? Lady Brisbee
nodded, taken aback by this. Justin regarded the Amulet in the ever-so-
slowly increasing sunlight. "I've always known about them too," He said
almost reverently, talking more to himself than Lady Brisbee. "but I never
really believed them."
"And you do now?" Brisbee asked, worried that the events of the past
several hours were taking their toll on Justin's rational thought processes.
A part of his resolve collapsed as he closed his eyes and sadly shook his
head, a tear running down his face until it was soaked up by fur. "No." he
murmured. Then he opened his eyes, which burned with an intensity that
she had never seen before. "But Jenner does. Andso do many of the other
animals. That's why you and the children are in such danger. If Jenner
should ever get his paws on this amulet he could use it to bend the Nation
to his will." He took one of Lady Brisbee's paws and gently placed the
amulet into it. "The only safe place in the Kingdom right now is the forests
of Sherwood in my birthplace, Nottinghamshire." He pointed down the road
in the direction that they had been walking. "I know that you and the
children are tired, but you need to keep going as quickly as possible until
you see a small branch-path on the right-hand side of the road next to a
low stone wall. Take that path into the forest; it's narrow, dark and
frightening, but that's the whole idea; and follow it until you see a house
on the edge of a small clearing. Dr. Ages should be somewhere about, he
never wanders very far from his laboratory. Don't be surprised if he
already knows you. Tell him what has happened, although I suspect he
may already have heard, and tell him that I will try to be back as soon as
I'm able."
Lady Brisbee, not sure of what to make of his instructions, nodded
hesitantly and asked. "But where are you going? If Jenner is looking for
you, wouldn't it be safer to come to this Dr. Ages with us?"
Justin shook his head. "Safer for me, maybe, and then only in the short run.
But if I present myself as a more convenient prey, then perhaps the
hounds will ignore the more important scent. Besides, I have an important
task to perform back in Londontown." He added, his voice dripping with
dark fury. He then gently took her by the shoulders and gazed intently
into her eyes. "You hold the future of Britain and the freedom of her
subjects in your paws." He whispered. "Jonathan's love for you, I can see,
was not misplaced and, if you keep your chin up, all will turn out well." He
then turned and walked back to the hand-cart. By now, Timothy was also
awake and the sun was sending its first sliver of full light over the horizon.
Martin had found some straight branches and some lengths of rope and,
with the tarp, rigged a tent that covered the bed of the cart, where Theresa
was now asleep. Justin complimented the young Brisbee on his
resourcefulness as he reached in and, carefully so as not to wake Theresa,
removed his sword and scabbard, bow, quiver and arrows. Martin beamed
proudly as he thanked the fox, who was already marching toward the City.
Chapter Two
"I trust you bring me some positive news?" The figure at the window
intoned without turning around.
Sullivan prayed inwardly, glad that he was already on bended knee. "I'm
afraid not, Your Majesty. Both the Brisbee family and the Amulet were
gone by the time we got there. Someone even forgot to lock the front door.
We were able to just walk right in."
"Justin, I suppose." Said the figure morosely. "His way of rubbing my face
in the fact that he's one step ahead of me." The figure then turned and
walked toward a door that led to the courtyard overlook. Sullivan signaled
the soldiers with him to remain where they were and followed.
When they reached the overlook, Sullivan cleared his throat and said in his
most soldierly voice, "Your Majesty, permission to speak freely?" Jenner,
chin resting on interlocked fingers as he leaned on the stone wall, gave a
curt nod.
"Sir," Sullivan began, hoping that Jenner understood that he was trying to
talk soldier-to-soldier rather than Officer to King. "You now have what we
were all after. You now wear the Crown and sit on the Throne of Britain.
What difference does it make whether or not you wear some worthless red
stone around your neck when you have a whole nation under your feet?"
"Sullivan, do you know the legends behind that 'worthless red stone'; as
you call it?" Jenner asked, his voice cold and distant.
"Of course, Sir," Sullivan replied. "Every child in the realm grows up with
those stories. They've been passed down for longer than this Kingdom has
existed."
"Yes, my friend, and do you know why that is so?" Jenner turned and
stared hard into Sullivan's eyes, an almost demonic cast in his own.
"Because those stories; those legends, ancient as they are; are true!" The
new King began pacing agitatedly along the walkway. "All those battles
won, all those armies defeated by heros who had only one thing in
common: they all wore that Amulet!" Seeing that his acolyte was
unconvinced, he continued on a different tack. "Besides, whoever possesses
that Amulet has the respect of all of Britain. I'm under no illusion that I've
started my rule with clean paws. Rumors as to the circumstances of my
dear adopted brother's death are already spreading through the city like
wildfire. As with all rumors there will be that few who, after the fires of
half-truth and lies are extinguished, will keep a few embers of fact
burning, always ready to fan them into flames of scandal at the first
opportunity." He pounded his fist on the stone railing. "This I cannot abide
with! If, with or without the stone, the people refuse to obey my will as
their legitimate Sovereign, then they will be punished!" Jenner then
stepped to Sullivan's side and whispered conspiratorially, "If, however, the
flames that I've described can be stopped before they can do any major
damage, who knows? The one who most diligently stamps out the fires
would certainly be deserving of certain, shall we say, benefits?"
Sullivan, a follower of Jenner since becoming one of his guards many years
ago, had learned quite well that, while vain and power-hungry, Jenner had
a certain perverse sense of loyalty, believing that not only could you, for
the right price, buy both happiness and friends, but, for just a bit more,
you could also keep them. He nodded his understanding.
"Excellent!" Jenner smiled, baring his fangs; a sign that Sullivan knew
meant that failure on his part meant the most dire of consequences. "A
most dangerous flame burns even as we speak. I suggest that you find it
and put it out as soon as possible." Jenner then quickly turned his back on
Sullivan, his black cape billowing behind him, and strode through the
doorway, leaving Sullivan to figure out how he was going to deal with a
wily fox named Justin.
Chapter Three
In the next several hours after Justin had left the Brisbee family to
continue their journey, Lady Marian; with the help of Martin or a now
somewhat stronger Theresa; had struggled to pull the cart as far as she
could throughout the day. Justin had made it look so easy. "But then," She
thought to herself, "He is a well-trained and disciplined professional soldier
suited to a life of physical exertion. I, on the other paw, am...was a
noblewoman of the court of King Nicodemus. The only work that I was
expected to do was to administer the royal household. Now I'm a hungry,
penniless, tired widow with four children to support." She sighed to
herself, deciding that fate, indeed, was a sometimes cruel, sometimes
benevolent, force.
A sudden noise from the trees of the forest surrounding them broke into
her thoughts. She could have sworn she had heard something, a voice
maybe? But the children gave no indication of having heard anything.
Martin was still at her side doing his level best to make his mother's labor
easier to bear. Theresa, though still weak from exhaustion, was at the rear,
pushing the cart. Timothy and Cynthia were walking ahead, tossing stones
and small pebbles out of the way of where they thought the cart's wheels
would roll.
There it was again! Much closer too! "Could it be Highwaymen?" She
thought to herself. King Nicodemus had rid all but the most isolated areas
of his realm of these robbers. But had word of his death traveled so fast
among them that they now felt safe to resume their nefarious activities?
And in broad daylight, no less! She dreaded the thought of having to deal
with such cutthroats, even though Justin had let them pack only the most
necessary items and making her leave her most valuable possessions at
the manor. "Calm down," She chided herself. "Or you'll scare yourself silly!"
SNAP! This time even the children had heard it! Martin and Theresa looked
up in surprise toward where they thought the sound had come from.
Cynthia was already running headlong into the forest where Timothy was
pointing. "No!" Lady Brisbee shouted instinctively. But the little rabbit was
too far away to hear her call and too eager and curious to be aware of the
potential danger.
"Martin, stay with the cart!" She ordered, ducking under the pushbar.
"Theresa! Timothy! Did you see where she went?"
"I can still see her, mother!" Timothy shouted excitedly. Lady Brisbee
plunged into the thick bramble that was the border of road and forest. She
too could see her youngest daughter, who seemed to be on her haunches
talking to someone. Thorns and barbs of various types tore into or stuck to
her cape and the fur of her legs and tail, stinging as they were forced to
release her from their futile grip. "Oh, to be a small child again; able to
wriggle through all that and come out unscathed." She thought wistfully.
She could now see that Cynthia was leaning over the edge of a large, deep
pit. Seconds later, she arrived at the same spot and swept the small rabbit
into her arms. "Oh, Cynthia, honey, please, please! Don't ever run into the
forest like that again! You frightened Mommy so much!" She pleaded,
almost in tears. The look of remorse that came to the young rabbit's face
was genuine, but instantly changed to one of glee as she pointed into the
hole. "Mommy, Mommy! There's someone in there! He says he's trapped!"
Lady Brisbee, her eyes more accustomed to the darkness, could indeed see
a figure at the bottom of the void. "Hello?" she asked hesitantly. "Is
everything all right?" A humor-filled voice floated up. "Well, other than
being forced to sleep in this mud-pit half the night. Yeah, I suppose
everything's pretty dandy!" At that moment, Theresa arrived, holding the
glowing lantern. The voice in the hole, they saw, belonged to a young
rooster who, apparently true to his word, was covered comb to spurs with
layers of mud.
After helping the rooster, who introduced himself with a flourish as
Jeremy O'Dale, out of the hole, he led them to a nearby creek to wash the
mud off of his clothes.
"How did you end up in there?" Theresa asked as she wrung out his shirt.
"Well, it's an odd thing!" Jeremy, who had wrapped himself in a blanket
that Lady Brisbee gave him, said. "I was in the town of Foth'ringshay
playing for my supper at the inn." He indicated a lute that lay next to him.
"I had collected several crown over what I needed to eat and was going to
spend the night; my first in an actual warm bed in many a week, mind
you; when all of a sudden the Sheriff of Nottingham and a bunch of his
Deputies comes swaggering into the place and demands a meal that instant.
Well, the innkeeper tells him that others are waiting to be served and he
too'll just have to wait. The Sheriff, some twit of a bear whose men called
him Brutus, just walks over to the poor bloke and lets him have it across
the snout! Then he tells every one that he's looking for a lady fox and her
kids, rabbits if you can believe that!" Jeremy then noticed the shocked
looks on the faces looking down on him. "What!" he asked, confused.
"What'd I..." Then his eyes bulged with realization. "You!" he shouted.
"You're the ones he's looking for!" The rooster then began to laugh
uproariously. Lady Brisbee and the children, now themselves confused,
looked at each other, mouths agape, and shrugged, unsure what to make of
this. As the laughter subsided to a fit of uncontrolled giggling, Theresa
regarded Jeremy skeptically and said, "Oh great! The local law is after our
heads and we stopped to rescue this looney!"
"Theresa! Mind your manners, young lady!" Scolded Lady Brisbee,
embarrassed by her daughters outburst. "Yes, min' your manners!" Cynthia
piped in.
"Oh, that's okay!" Jeremy said, a bemused cackle in his voice. "Anyway," He
continued, "I walked over to this big bushel of fur and told him that he had
no business hitting defenseless innkeepers and that he was so fat that
even if he saw a lady fox with kids, he'd be lucky to be able to actually
catch them. Well, as you might be able to guess, those few moments of
pleasure had to be paid for with a few hours of pain. He and his Deputies
dragged me here to this hole and threw me in. luckily they didn't damage
my source of income."
Lady Brisbee smiled at Jeremy's good humor, but inside she was in
turmoil. That the Kings Guard was after the Amulet was bad enough, but
she could be reasonably sure that even Jenner would not dare try to harm
her. But the Sheriffs of the various Shires, except in matters pertaining to
the collection of the King's revenues, were pretty much a law unto
themselves and while the majority were conscientious about their duties to
their constituents, others saw the office as a way to enrich themselves
because they were entitled to the excess revenues from seized land or
properties. King Nicodemus had tried to reform this state of affairs, but the
changes that were being planned had died with him.
"By the way," The rooster said off-handedly. "For whom did I have the
honor of taking last nights bath?"
"I'm La..." She hesitated for a moment. All that this wandering musician
knew for the moment was that she and the children were wanted by the
local Sheriff for some unknown reason and seemed sympathetic to their
plight. And while it might later become necessary to divulge why she was
on the run, she decided that Jeremy O'Dale could not lie about that which
he didn't know. "I'm Mrs. Brisbee." She stated calmly. When the children
gave her a collective questioning look, she returned it with one that said,
"Go with me on this one and I'll explain later."
After introducing her children, Mrs. Brisbee asked Jeremy where he was
going next. "Not to Foth'ringshay, that's for sure!" He replied with a
chuckle. "I could head South to Londontown or West to Darby, or even
Coventry. I haven't been that way in several months."
This disappointed Mrs. Brisbee. "Before you go then, could you tell us how
much longer it will be before we find a narrow path next to a low stone
wall to the right side of the road?"
"You mean Ol' Doc Ages place?" Jeremy asked, perplexed.
"You know him?" Mrs. Brisbee asked, also surprised.
"He's let me sleep in his hayloft once or twice, so long as I promised not to
sing for him." He chuckled again, emphasizing the "not".
"Would you be willing to take us at least that far?" she ventured,
heartened by Jeremy's knowlege of the area.
"Sure!" He answered. "I don't have anything to otherwise occupy my time
and even a night in a hayloft is a good step up from one in a mudhole."
Mrs. Brisbee thanked him and since his clothes; a collection of once classy,
but now out-dated and rather unfashionable, formal wear; were now dry,
she had the children repack the cart. As Martin was about to take his place
at his mothers side behind the pushbar, Jeremy said, "Now there, young
lad, you look a bit tired to these observant eyes. I'll help your mother with
the cart while you get some rest, okay?" Martin looked first at Mrs. Brisbee
then, longingly, at the cart. Mrs. Brisbee nodded her approval and thanked
the rooster. "No problem, Ma'am." He said as the rabbit climbed into the
cart. With that, he nodded in the direction of Dr. Ages house and, picking
up the cart's pushbar, started off.